Atlassian Central’s bold new art plugs into the Milky Way – and Sydney’s weather

30 Mar 2024

Brook Andrew’s light installation giwang dinawan yiray (moon-emu-sun) will be unveiled alongside Korean American artist, Soo Sunny Park’s installation in Atlassian Central, the software giant’s new landmark Australian headquarters. Andrew’s work comprises of three illuminated silhouettes: a waxing moon, a sun synchronised to daily temperatures and an emu constellation seen in the dust bands of the Milky Way, Andrew’s work honours First Nations stargazers.

When the headquarters opens in 2026, staff and the public will be able to visually note the sun’s intensity, the place of the moon in the southern sky, and changing seasons. The sun will change colour depending on the time of the day and year, shining magenta through to pale yellow in tune with data from Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology weather station.

Andrew says, “for thousands of years, Indigenous people have been gazing in the night sky and at the changing seasons. [I wanted] to make visible the way that Atlassian Central site is placed in Country while being connected to planetary systems.”

Crafting a diverse and memorable arrival point on the publicly accessible ground floor of Atlassian Central, Curator Amanda Sharrad developed two shortlists, one of Indigenous artists and the other international practitioners. Andrew’s concept was selected from among notable Indigenous artists including Tony Albert, Maddison Gibbs and Jonathan Jones, whose Indigenous gathering space on the land bridge next door to the new Art Gallery of NSW’s north building is soon to be completed.

Image: Sketch of Brook Andrew’s LED installation between the ground floor heritage parcel shed building and the high-tech office tower of Atlassian Central on Sydney Morning Herald. Courtesy of the artist and Sydney Mornng Herald.